WCS Reviews Course Offerings For 2015-2016

Yesterday evening during the Warsaw Community School Board board work session, Chief Academic Officer David Robertson presented the board with an overview of new, deleted and revised course offerings for the 2015-2016 school year.

The updates to the WCS curriculum were decided upon by the WCS curriculum counsel. Recommendations began in the fall and Robertson noted all changes were approved by the counsel with strong support.

At the high school level, Robertson noted four courses that were approved spring of 2014 will be implemented in the coming school year after preparations to offer the course have concluded. ACT/SAT prep, AP physics, AP world history and AP French will begin being offered at the high school during the 2015-2016 school year.

New courses requested this fall for the 2015-2016 school year at WCHS include advanced creative writing, integrated English 11 CP and US History, select dance ensemble, German II and Let II for JROTC.

Diane Quance, director of guidance at WCHS, explained that the advanced creative writing class was requested via a student petition and is being piloted this spring after a test run with independent study students this fall.

The English 11 CP Integrated course will offer a rapid review of the Revolutionary War and 19th Century American History. According to Robertson, the course will offer more emphasis on the 20th Century through a chronological study of American literature.

The select dance ensemble course will be a full year class in dance and technique that will act as a capstone course for dance. Difficult steps will be learned in no less than four dance styles and Robertson noted auditions will be necessary for admittance into the course.

Lastly, Robertson presented information on the requested German II program, which would be added as a new language course for the upcoming school year. Robertson noted there is a strong demand for German language learning at the high school at this time and the course will encourage a deeper development of reading, listening and comprehension skills to students.

Course deletions at the high school include debate, film literature II, dance history and appreciation, English 11 CP and US history. Robertson noted that nearly all courses deleted from the curriculum were done so because they have been integrated into other courses.

The only new course addition at the Warsaw Area Career Center for 2015-2016 is engineering robotics for women. Ronna Kawsky, WACC principal, explained that several courses had been deleted from the WACC’s offerings due to courses being incorporated in other classes or low student interest over the past few years. Courses deleted include communication, manufacturing and transportation processes; technology enterprises; computers in design and production; advanced transportation systems; engineering advanced robotics; entrepreneurship and new ventures; global economics; and agriculture, structure and technology agriculture.

Kawsky also explained that the WACC will begin referring to course pathways as “academies” as a way to increase a sense of ownership with students in regards to their academic pursuit. Academies offered will include health science professionals, biomedical, public safety and criminal justice.

Lastly, Robertson noted that major changes could be happening at both Lakeview and Edgewood Middle School. Robertson noted that changes at both middle schools are currently under an investigation stage and are not yet ready to be implemented. If implemented, both middle schools will be moving to a 6 week class schedule. Robertson noted that both middle schools are currently working to increase exploratory course opportunities while building STEM offerings as well.